In this edition ...
We feature the Horley Christmas Fair run by HATs, the annual Christmas Carol event, HTC Precept 2018/19, new Horley Resident Forum Meetings and free publicity by the Town Council for local community groups.
Horley Christmas Fair
The Horley Association of Traders (HATs) held their annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, 2 December. The Town Centre Precinct was filled with a variety of stalls and plenty of food outlets. There was also participation by some bands as well as carol singing and Santa’s Grotto for the younger children.
The big Christmas lights switch-on took place when darkness fell, by the Christmas Tree which was as usual provided by the Town Council.
HATs are as always very grateful to their sponsors including Gatwick Airport, Britaniacrest Recycling, Andrews Estate Agents, Seven Sins and Regency Grove Communications Ltd.
Christmas Carol Concert and Presentation to the Town Clerk
The annual Christmas Carol Service, arranged by all the local churches, took place by the Christmas Tree, in the Horley Town Centre Precinct on Saturday, 16 December. Following the Service, many people attended the traditional hospitality event provided by the Town Councillors in the Horley Day Centre. Many residents commmented on the lovely buffet provided in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
A memorable gift presentation was also given by the Councillors to Alan Jones, Town Clerk, to mark his forthcoming retirement. The Council Chairman congratulated Alan and thanked him for his enormous contribution and dedication to the Council over a span of 15 years. We all wish him a long, happy and fulfilling retirement.
Council approves Budget and sets its Precept for 2018/19
At its Full Council meeting on 12 December 2017, Horley Town Council approved its budget for 2018/19 and set its Town Precept. Cllr Samantha Marshall, Chairman of the Town Council’s Finance & General Purposes Committee, explained that the Precept for 2018/2019 had been set at a total net figure of £351,333. This means that the Town element of Council Tax will be an average annual amount of £36.90 representing an annual increase of 96p per Band D household (+ 2.66 %).
Cllr Marshall commented that the Town Council remained fully committed to maintaining all its services, as well as pursuing a programme of enhancements and new projects. These would include improvements to recreation grounds and playgrounds. A new concrete skate park had been installed at Horley Recreation Ground, thanks in part to funding from Surrey County Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and a new playground will be installed at Court Lodge Fields within the current municipal year. She added that the Town Council had also applied for planning permission to install a café and toilets at Horley Recreation Ground.
The Town Council will continue to support St Bartholomew’s New Churchyard and has made provision for £6,000 towards its grounds maintenance, subject to the approval of a grant application from the Church.<<read more>>
Calling all community groups ...
Would you like to reach out to a new audience? Horley Town Council will be giving community groups the opportunity to reach a wider audience through our monthly eNewsletter free of charge. If you are a community group, serving Horley, you are invited to email us some brief text about your group, what you offer, when you meet etc. for inclusion in future editions. Please keep it brief as space is limited. We reserve the right to vet and edit information before publishing and it will be included when space is available; so no time sensitive material please. Remember if you have a specific event to advertise, we can add this to our events listings on our website by using the link here.
Silent Soldiers
The Surrey Royal Britsh Legion is inviting sponsors for 'Silent Soldiers' which have now started to appear across the county, on buildings, gardens, fields, roundabouts and elsewhere, to commemorate the end of WW1. Businesses, local groups and individuals can join the nation to remember by having a Silent Soldier proudly on display. The Silent Soldier comes complete with a post, screws and a space for a personalised inscription. Horley Town Council has sponsored three Silent Soldiers, one of which has been funded by Town Council members. For further information, please contact Peter Wakeham, CFR East Surrey: pwakeham@britishlegion.org.uk
Edmonds Community Hall ...around the Clubs!
Do you have a family celebration coming up that just won’t fit in your home? Perhaps you have a skill to share and are thinking of running regular classes. Maybe you are a new mum who would like to set up a mother and baby coffee morning. Whatever you’re planning, we have a lovely hall for hire at reasonable rates. The attractive hall is situated in central Horley, close to Crawley, Reigate and Redhill. The hall has a kitchen and parking and is approximately 12m x 6m (40ft x 20ft) with a wooden sprung floor. The venue has a maximum capacity of 60 people and is ideal for: training; local community meetings; fitness and relaxation classes; dance classes; church services; rehearsal and practice sessions; baby groups and educational pursuits.
The modern facilities of the hall include accessible toilets; a kitchen with electric cooker; tables and chairs for up to 60 people; 14 parking spaces plus one disabled space; and conference facilities as an optional extra. It is available for day and evening hire at very reasonable rates. We have some available slots most days but many possible slots during the day on a Tuesday and Thursday. Take a look at our website for further information or contact Judy on 01293 784765.
Horley Resident Forum Meetings
The Town Council will be hosting new Horley Resident Forum Meetings on a bimonthly basis to give residents an opportunity to meet and interact with councillors at the three levels of local government (Town, County and Borough). This first meeting will be held in the Edmonds Hall, Albert Rooms, on Tuesday, 30 January, starting at 7.30 pm. We hope this will be a useful replacement for the former Neighbourhood Panel Meetings. Please come along if you would like to discuss any issues.
New Town Clerk
We are pleased to announce that Joan Walsh will be the new Town Clerk for Horley Town Council from 1st January 2018. We wish her every success in her new appointment.
Alan Jones, our Town Clerk since 2002, will retire on 31 December after 15 years’ service. We send our very best wishes to Alan on his retirement.
Horley Town Council Christmas Closure
The Town Council Offices will close at lunchtime on Friday 22 December 2017 and will re-open on the morning of Tuesday 2 January 2018. For any out-of-hours emergencies during this time, please telephone our security patrolling team on 01293 410165.
We wish all residents a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018.
Dates for your diary...
Next Council Meetings
9 Jan Planning
16 Jan Leisure
23 Jan Finance
Please also check out our online "what's on" calendar for information on forthcoming events. Did you know you can submit your own organisation's event? Just follow the instructions on our website.
  
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